Seasons of Love
by SantaFeDreamer
Summary: A year in the life of two girls, Dodger and Ace, and their year of love, hate, heartaches, and friendship. I'm really bad at summaries, sorry. Please R&R!
1. The Fire

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back! I haven't been on here in forever, and just a few days ago I started lurking around the site again, reading some of y'all's stories, recognizing some of the usernames of people whose stories I used to read, and just all in all getting that warm, fuzzy feeling inside again that I used to have when reading/writing fanfiction! So I decided to start writing again. The reason I wasn't writing for a while? Psh. Even I don't know. I just had a lot happening this year, more than I thought I did, I guess. But I'm back! And ready to write again!**

**So anyways, tell me what you think of this story, I have it all planned out and the next few chapters already written, and will be writing the rest of it as soon as I can. Any pointers would be lovely.**

**Please R&R! I missed you guys!**

Disclaimer: I don't own newsies, everything except Dodger and Ace, and any other character you don't recognize belongs to me, the rest belongs to Disney.

Chapter 1

We were best friends. Always together. You never saw one of us without the other. Since the day I had arrived at the girls' orphanage at the young age of six, we had been inseparable. She had been there since she was a baby, and didn't remember her family. I had to witness my family being taken away from me one by one by the influenza epidemic. When I arrived at the orphanage, the girls didn't take too kindly to me, except for one. Of course, I guess that's the reason she needed a friend, too; none of the girls got along with her, either. We were both a bit...outspoken, you could say. Outspoken, and stubborn. And tomboys. We got along with each other pretty well. Of course, there were always those times when we argued, but is there any pair of best friends who doesn't? The thing was, we still stuck together, even though we thought we were both right. We knew we'd both be alone otherwise; we had no one else to talk to. It was just what made our bond tighter, in the end.

For years we were friends. Until the fire on June 16, 1896, when we were both thirteen, seven years to the day that I had arrived at the orphanage and we had become friends. That was the day when both our lives changed. Again. The kitchen caught on fire. No big surprise, since lots of places had been catching fire during the summer because of the dry weather. The fire spread so fast, there was hardly time to think. We all ran out of the house, all with the same goal: get as far away as possible. Not just because of the fire, but also because of what would happen once everything calmed down and the police started taking us somewhere else to stay. Our current orphanage was bad enough; we didn't want to start over in a brand new place. In that way the fire was a blessing. But it was also a curse. I got away, and she was held back, a policeman having seen her and grabbing her before she could get far enough away. I remember glancing behind me before turning the corner, and seeing her being dragged to the carriage along with some of the other girls. She gave me one sad, parting glance, and stepped into the coach. That was the last we saw of each other, the day both of our lives changed.

I had to keep running if I didn't want to be caught. I ran for what seemed like ages, until I turned up an alley and crashed right into someone walking in the opposite direction. That was the other event that changed my life that day. The person I had run into - a boy, to be exact - introduced himself as Kid Blink. I was speechless. He looked like a beautiful, blonde, one-eyed angel come to rescue me from everything that had happened. Despite everything that had occurred - losing all my possessions, losing my best friend, and on the run from the police - he made me forget about all of that. Was this what a crush felt like? I suppose so, because my heart was beating uncommonly fast and not just from running, because I could also feel the butterflies come to life in my stomach. Kid Blink offered for me to come with him to the Newsboys Lodging House, where I could stay the night...and every night since then...

There was really no where else to go the next day. I had no money, no way of supporting myself, and I was not about to go back to an orphanage. I became a newsie, like Blink, and learned all there was to know about selling papes. I dressed in boys clothes, earned my own money, and was free to go wherever I wished, as long as I didn't do anything to cause the police to come after me. I was living a better life than I had ever known. I had amazing friends, who all loved me like a sister. Still, I never forgot my best friend, who was somewhere in New York, or maybe moved somewhere else by now, who I hadn't seen since that day of the fire...

**A/N: So there's the first chapter for you! The next chapters are longer, I promise. This one's just a bit of background before diving into the present story.**

**You know what I like? Reviews. Yeah, reviews are nice...I like reviews. Feel free to leave me some!**


	2. Three Years Later

**A/N: Alright, here's the next chapter and, as I promised, it's much l****onger! Happy reading! Remember to review!**

**A special "Thank you!" goes out to Smiley94 for reviewing the first chapter! D**

Disclaimer: For the second time, I don't own "Newsies."

Chapter 2

"Dodge? Dodgah, wake up!" I groaned, groggily trying to swat away whoever was speaking to me so early in the morning. I just heard the voice laugh. "Missed me!" That was it. My eyes opening immediately, I turned back around to face the source of the voice and swung my arm around, hard, to land with a loud slap right on Mush's face.

"Ha! Nice one, Dodger!" Skittery crowed from across the room as Mush rubbed his face, stunned.

"Thank you," I said grumpily, and then curled back into a tight ball with my covers above my head, grumbling about Mush and his stupid cheerfulness in the morning.

"Oh, no ya don't!" I heard Blink say, and suddenly one blanket was flung off of me, while the one below me was pulled out from under me by Mush, making me roll in the opposite direction and onto the floor with a thud.

Now I was awake.

I looked up from my spot on the floor to see Blink above me giving me the most beautiful smile. It was supposed to be a smile to make fun of my predicament, but I thought any of Blink's smiles were beautiful. Still, I had become an expert at hiding the look I got when the butterflies in my stomach went wild, and did the same this time, too. My mouth turned down into a frown, and I glared at Blink.

I held out my hand. "Give me da blanket, Blink," I said in a low, threatening voice. Blink just grinned some more and pulled the blanket closer to him, looking like he was preparing to bolt. "Blink," I said again, slowly rising to my feet. "Give me da blanket." I couldn't help it anymore. I smiled. Not a huge smile, but just enough for Blink to see that I was just playing.

"Ha!" He grinned even wider. "You'll have ta catch me if ya want it back!" And with that he was off, running around the bunk room, while I was close on his heels. We ran up and down the bunk room, through the washroom, Blink always a step ahead of me, always keeping the blanket one arm's reach from me. This wasn't a new event. This was almost an every day occurrence, me and Blink play-fighting over something in the morning. As usual, some of the boys who were just waking up and still sitting on their beds started cheering for who they wanted to win the fight. Finally I tackled Blink and we both landed hard on the floor. I got the blanket in my hand and held on to it, tight. It looked like I was going to win when suddenly Skittery was standing above us, and the next second the blanket was out of both our grasps and Skittery was running away with it. But I was quicker this time. I jumped onto Skittery's back and snatched the blanket from his hands, waving it over my head with one hand while holding onto Skittery's shoulder with the other, while he just spun me around, laughing with me.

After a few seconds he put me down and faced me. "Ya awake now?" He asked jokingly.

I just rolled my eyes good-naturedly and went back to my bunk to grab my things for washing up before work.

About ten minutes later all of the Manhattan newsies were walking through the streets on the way to the distribution office. I was walking alongside Skittery and Mush, my two closest friends of all the newsies, and Blink and Racetrack were walking a little ways ahead of us. About three years had passed since the day I had lost my best friend and found Blink. I liked to think that after three years of knowing each other, Blink would've thought we should be something _more_ than friends, but that hadn't happened yet. My spirits sank every time I thought about it. _But I have Skittery and Mush_, was the argument I would make every time the thought came into my head, and that made it feel better. For a little while, at least.

We arrived at the distribution office and bought our papes, and decided who would sell with who before splitting up into pairs: Blink and Mush, Skittery and me. Skittery and I walked to our favorite selling spot that we saved for when we were selling together. It was the spot in Central Park where we had first sold together, and we'd been going there ever since, pretty much just out of habit. On the way, Skittery put his newspapers under his arm except one and opened it. "Hm, how're the headlines today?"

I held my stack of newspapers out in front of me and looked at the front page. My throat tightened when I saw the date: June 15, 1899. My face fell and I looked straight ahead of me again, trying not to show that I was feeling any differently than before. Only that didn't work with Skittery, who happened to glance at me when put my papes down too quickly and knew what was up. That was the thing about being friends with Skittery: he and I were so similar that it was hard to get anything past each other. We both reacted the same way to the same situations, so we always knew what the other was thinking.

"You're thinking about tomorrow, aren't ya?"

I nodded.

"We'll find her dis year, Dodge, I'm sure of it."

I nodded again, not meeting his eyes.

We arrived in Central Park not long after that and started selling. I just copied whatever headline Skittery was shouting, not wanting to have to look at my papes more than I had too.

I thought about what Skittery said. How he was sure we'd find her. It had been three years, and we still hadn't found her. A few of our close friends would sell on some of the corners where the other orphanages were located in the city, looking for a girl with the description I had given them. But any time they thought they had found her, it was the wrong person. Had she escaped that night? It was possible. But then she could be anywhere. The orphanages were the only places we could think of.

I tried to stop thinking about it by just focusing on how many papes I had left and on trying to sell those faster than Skittery got rid of his. I was so glad I had Skittery and Mush as my closest friends these past few years. They were polar opposites of each other, but they each had a special friendship with me, and that made us a good trio, myself many times the mediator when they got on each other's nerves (or really, when Mush got on Skittery's nerves). I was close with each of them in different ways.

Mush was my sunlight, the person who could find something good in everything, the positive thinker. He could make me feel great no matter what state I was in. But that wasn't the only thing I depended on him for. I could talk to him about anything, and he would understand, unlike the other boys who wouldn't want to talk about a girl's emotions. He was a good listener, and was there anytime I needed to talk. He was the only one that knew about my feelings for Blink, too. Not because he could figure it out himself, but because I trusted him with the information; and he had never let me down by telling anyone else. And I helped him, too. After all, the guys only started calling him Mush because of me. Being friends with a girl had its advantages, after he started understanding them better. And the guys still wondered how he had more dates than them! It never ceased to amaze me that they were so clueless.

Skittery was exactly like me. He and I had more of the intellectual friendship. We were so much alike, we knew when to talk and when to be quiet, and were more understanding of each other's feelings and opinions. We hardly tried to keep things from each other, because we could so easily tell what the other was thinking. Unless it was extremely important and we really tried hard to keep a secret from the other. For instance, he has no clue about my feelings for Blink, because I've hidden them so well. And I'm sure there's been things he hasn't told me, and that's all right. Skittery's not all "glum and dumb," as the boys like to call him. He just doesn't say something unless he thinks it's important, and is usually putting others before himself, which is why he just goes along with others quietly with what they want to do, rather than controlling what everyone does. And for that the others all think he just doesn't care. But a lot of the time he's happy and jokes around with me, and when we're together I get to see the smiling, lighter side of him.

Of course, I had other friends than Skittery and Mush, but they weren't as close, or as reliable. Jack, as the leader, had, from the beginning, kind of taken me under his wing as his little sister. But he was all business. He taught me about being a newsie, about living on the streets, and helping me to toughen up. I appreciated it, but I wouldn't call him one of my best friends. But he was always there to lighten the mood or to talk if I needed it. Then there was Blink, who was a good friend, but I think my wishful thinking about him having feelings for me kind of kept me from being able to be just friends with him.

I finished selling my papes, and Skittery still had seven left. That was pretty good! Normally we finished closer to the same time. I was getting better, that was good. I waited for Skittery to finish selling, and we made our way back to Tibby's, where we hoped to meet back up with Mush.

We were a couple of the first to arrive. The only other newsies there were Jack, Mush, Blink, Bumlets and Dutchy. We joined them at the table, greeting others as they came in, one by one. Dutchy and I had started up a pleasant conversation about one of the performances we had snuck into a couple of nights earlier, when we were interrupted by Racetrack swinging the door open, storming in, and slamming the door closed behind him. We all watched as, grumbling under his breath, he stomped up to our table, grabbed one of the chairs nearby, swung it around and placed it between Skittery and Jack and sat down. He crossed his arms, avoiding all of our glances. Finally Jack spoke up.

"Bad day at the races, dere, Race?"

Racetrack snorted.

"Aren't ya gonna order anythin'?" Jack continued.

"No." Race bluntly replied.

Jack feigned surprise. "But you _always_ order a Coca-Cola after sellin', Race! You're not gonna ruin a _tradition_, are ya?" That finally pushed Race over the edge.

"Alright! I had a bad day at da races! I lost all my money, I don't have enough to buy a single thing tonight! All because o' dat dirty-rotten goil who tricked me outta all my money!"

"Tricked you? Or was actually bettah den you?" I asked. Racetrack glared. I'd hit a nerve.

"So who is dis goil, Race?" Jack asked curiously, and everyone shut up to listen to Race.

"I dunno! She jus' appears outta nowhere, foist day at da tracks, according to everyone I asked. No one had seen her befoah. Foist I sees her bettin' on a horse, an' she goes for da one with the least chance a' winnin'. She wins da bet! Den she goes inside where da poker tables are and where I was goin', too. Of all tables, she sits at mine. Dat goil is da best poker player I'se evah seen! Gambled me outta all my money. Den she disappears!" He then started grumbling and we had to strain our ears to hear him. "If it's da last thing I do I'm gonna get that no good, dirty -"

"Did you catch her name?" Mush interrupted him.

"Yeah. Name's Ace. No wonder how she got _dat_."

"So, ya gonna try to see her again tomorrow?"

"Well, I'se not passin' up goin' to the tracks, so's I'll be dere, whether she's dere or not."

"Well, good luck, Race," Jack said as I ordered Race a drink for him and paid the waiter. "I think you'se gonna need it."

**A/N: So there you have it! I should be finished with editing chapter three by tomorrow night at the latest. I'll hopefully get it up sooner.**


	3. What Happened in Brooklyn

**A/N: So here's the next chapter! Hope y'all enjoy it! Shout outs go to Smiley94, BTTRthnTHErealENDING, NewsiesSpot88, and huffle-bibin for reviewing! Thank y'all so much!**

Disclaimer: Still don't believe me? Well, I'm tellin' ya, _I don't own "Newsies."_

Chapter 3

The next day was June 16th. The three year mark of the fire and of my becoming a newsie. A bittersweet day for me. I went selling with Mush that day, on purpose. I knew I'd have a better chance of being distracted than if I was with someone else. And I was right. Instead of going straight to Tibby's after we were done selling, he took me to my absolute favorite pastry shop and bought us something to share. We then walked to Brooklyn Bridge and sat on the Manhattan side, our legs dangling over the edge, eating the pastry. We just sat there talking about anything and everything, until our stomachs started growling again at around three o'clock and we knew it was time to head back to the lodging house.

"Thanks, Mush," I said, as we walked back through Manhattan, our backs to the East River.

"For what?" He asked, looking confused; but I could see past the act.

"You know what. Thanks for just spendin' time with me today, it helped a lot."

He smiled. "No problem."

We arrived at the lodging house to a sight that got us both excited. All the newsies were getting ready to leave. It was Friday, and everyone was headed to Brooklyn for the night to play poker. We mainly went so we would stay on good terms with Brooklyn. As long as we didn't ignore them, they didn't try to start any trouble. But poker night was fun, and it was entertaining to watch Race and Spot get so competitive every Friday. They were both pretty even in their ability to play, and so they were a fun pair to watch. The rest of us just enjoyed having a night out, and sometimes swimming in the East River.

Mush and I had started getting ready for the night, too, when Race came barging in, this time practically overflowing with excitement. _Wow, his mood swings are worse than mine_, I thought.

"Guess what? I talked ta Ace today, and I invited her to da poker game in Brooklyn tonight!" He started to laugh as he rubbed his hands evilly. "Ha! I can't wait to see Spot's face when she beats him to da ground in poker!"

"So you'se forgiven her for yesterday, den?" Jack asked, amused.

"Well, see, we'se got ourselves a little deal for tonight, so we'll be splittin' the winnings dat either of us gain tonight, and dat only means good things for me!"

We all rolled our eyes at his enthusiasm, and continued getting ready. Newsies started making their way to Brooklyn in two's and three's every few minutes after that. After saying goodbye to Racetrack, who was going to meet the infamous Ace and walk to Brooklyn with her, I headed out with Skittery and Tumbler. Skittery was Tumbler's idol, and the kid followed him everywhere. Skittery didn't mind it, though. He had taken Tumbler under his wing and become his big brother when Tumbler joined the newsies a couple of years before.

Tumbler spent the first half of our walk running ahead of us, swinging and thrusting his wooden toy sword everywhere, fighting imaginary foes. Then, just like he always did, he started getting tired once we reached the bridge, and Skittery carried him on his back the rest of the way.

After crossing the bridge, we soon reached the docks, a sure sign that we were just a couple blocks away from the Brooklyn Newsboys' Lodging House. Tumbler saw a few of his younger Brooklyn friends over by the docks and started trying to weasel out of Skittery's grasp.

"Skitts, let me down! They'll see!"

Chuckling, Skittery put him back on the ground, and Tumbler ran off to join his friends.

Skittery and I arrived at the Lodging House soon after, where there was an uproar of cheers and laughter coming from the center of the room, where everyone was gathered around a small round table, where about five people were playing poker. Spot was at the table, flanked all around by his Brooklyn boys. To his right was Flame, his best friend and most loyal follower. Seriously, why Spot was friends with Flame was a mystery to us Manhattaners, and even the Brooklyn boys, too. Flame was one of the most annoying, impertinent people I'd ever met. And for Spot to never lose his temper with him was a miracle. To Spot's left was Jack, looking amused but still a bit down; he must have just lost a fair amount of money. Next to Jack was Race, looking the smuggest he'd ever been before, if that was even possible. Between Race and Flame was the newcomer Race must have been talking about, Ace. Most of her face was hidden by shadow; her hat was so low over her forehead and she was looking down at the table to count her winnings. I glanced over at Spot once more to see his reaction to what was happening. He seemed in shock, for once not able to hide his emotions. His eyes were wide and fixed on Ace, ignoring all of the comments that his boys were making about him and the bad luck that seemed to have visited him tonight. In a few moments he went from shock, to suspicion, to anger.

"Another game," he demanded. "I'll deal."

The girl named Ace shrugged, still counting the money. Spot grabbed the deck and began to shuffle it.

"Nice game, Ace," Race said proudly, accepting his half that she handed him. It was then that she looked up at Race and smiled, and when I saw her face for the first time in three years.

Spot didn't get to have his rematch game with "Ace," or Samantha, as I remembered her by. No, the rest of the night was spent catching up with each other, talking about the past three years. For the next hour we sat on the docks and talked things through, while everyone else played more games inside.

"I ran away dat very night," Ace said, recalling the time exactly three years ago to the day. She went on to explain when she saw my confusion. "Right after you turned da corner and I was stuffed into dat carriage, I waited until da officer wasn't lookin' anymore an' jumped out da window on da other side. It would've been much easiah to escape, if dose stupid goils hadn't screamed my name an' caused such a noise dat the officer turned around again ta see what was goin' on. But by da time he saw me an' shouted for me to stop, I was already turnin' the corner behind ya." She chuckled bitterly at the memory. "You don' really realize how big a city like New York is until yoah lost. I don' blame ya for not waitin' for me, but I sure wish I'd known which streets you'd turned on after dat. I guess I ended up in a completely different place den you. I found a theater that night dat I thought was empty, an' fell asleep dere for da night. But it wasn't deserted, an' da owners found me da next mornin'. Dey let me work for da theater groups dat performed there, an' actually let me star in a few performances myself." We both smiled, remembering our love of acting together when we were younger. I remembered her always saying she had wanted to be an actress. "I was livin' fine for a long time, until just a few days ago. Turns out da owners were under arrest for some crimes dey committed years ago. I escaped again before da bulls could find out I was an orphan an' went ta Sheepshead Bay a few days later cause I needed extra money. An' dat's where I met Race."

"But how'd you learn how to play poker so well?" I asked, remember Race's story about their game.

She shrugged. "Da owners of da theater were really great poker players. Dey taught me."

I whistled. "So's ya haven't been in an orphanage all along."

"Nope. I looked for ya for the next few months, though," she said, "only I wish I'd been lookin' for a goil dressed as a newsie. Shoulda known you'd ditch dat stupid orphanage uniform foist thing, like I did."

We both laughed.

"So," I said, turning serious again, "what's your plan now? Where ya been stayin'?"

"Don't have a plan," Sam said bluntly. "I'se been sleepin' on da streets the past coupla nights."

Of course it was decided that Sam would come back to the Lodging House with us. She then started to ask me about my life and how I'd been the last three years. I told her how I had bumped into Blink that night, and he invited me to the lodging house, where I'd been staying ever since. I told her all about Skittery and Mush. "Dey're great, you'll love 'em, trust me. Dey're a bit...different...from each other, but dey've been my closest friends through an' through. I'd do anythin' for 'em."

"I learned da other Manhattan newsie's name who was playin' at our table, Jack, but who is he?" I told her all about the leader of the newsboys, and more about Race.

"Dey all sound great," she said, smiling. Then she asked bluntly, "So, ya got a thing for any of 'em?"

I laughed. I wasn't embarrassed to tell Sam. "Yeah, dere's dat one guy I told ya about, Blink, the one who found me dat night. He doesn't like me, though."

"How do ya know dat?"

I shrugged. "Let's go inside, okay?" She smiled at my quick change of subject, but didn't say anything else.

When we went back into the lodging house, we heard Racetrack elaborately telling the few people who would listen about how he had been assigned to find Dodge's best friend and how he was the only one to help her. And how, after months of searching, he finally found Ace and rescued her from a terrible life and brought her to see her long lost friend. Rolling my eyes, I led Sam over to where Skittery was sitting, to introduce them. We spent the rest of the evening mingling with the other newsies that were there, and they all welcomed Ace splendidly. There was only one time where things got a bit tense. Spot, still upset at Ace for beating him and then not holding the rematch, threatened her a bit and demanded a rematch, acting a bit rude towards her. But that was Spot, and we all knew he was just naturally like that. Only, Ace _didn't_ know. She came back with a few witty retorts, making the Brooklyn newsies tense up and the Manhattaners widen their eyes with surprise, only I could tell a few of them like Jack and Race were trying to hold back grins. Jack interfered before it got ugly and a fight broke out between Spot and Ace, and we all quickly said our goodbyes and left. As she and I walked together away from the lodging house, I slightly turned my head to glance back at the rickety old building. I could see a single silhouette in one of the upstairs windows that looked very much like Spot, arms crossed, watching us as we walked away.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! If you did, hit that little blue button!**


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